FDA: Your Toothbrush May Be Out to Destroy You

Alert: Toothbrushes can mess you up, and the FDA is on it.

Alert: Toothbrushes can mess you up, and the FDA is on it. In an effort to keep your mouth safe, comfortable, and in the state we all prefer it to remain, the FDA issued a consumer update with regard to those battery-powered Spinbrushes that are all the rage. While these brushes may seem innocent, healthy, and, with their cutesy slogans and vibrant colors, good for kids, they are not to be trusted. Avoid being alone with them in closed quarters, like your bathroom.

“It’s important that consumers know how to avoid the risks associated with using the Spinbrush,” says Shumaya Ali, M.P.H., a consumer safety officer at the Food and Drug Administration. “We’ve had reports in which parts of the toothbrush broke off during use and were released into the mouth with great speed, causing broken teeth and presenting a choking hazard.”

Yikes! Spinbrushes have caused injuries ranging from chipped or broken teeth to mouth and gum cuts and injuries to the face and eyes from poking people in the eye and in the cheek. They've cut lips, burned people with their batteries, and lodged their bristles in a child's tonsils. Sometimes, people have swallowed or choked on broken pieces.

Are these electric toothbrushes or ticking time bombs? It seems that the danger arises when people forget to replace their brush heads. So, make a note of that. And if you're going to use a Spinbrush, be careful. You're dancing with danger. Also, you should floss more.

Image via Shutterstock by Rasulov.